New Delhi: OpenAI has brought Codex access to the ChatGPT mobile app, giving developers a new way to check and guide their coding agent from a phone. The rollout started on Thursday, May 14, and is available in preview across ChatGPT plans on iOS and Android.
The update does not mean users will code fully on a phone screen. That would be painful, honestly. Instead, the ChatGPT app works like a remote control for Codex running on a separate computer or cloud workspace, so the actual files, credentials and permissions stay on the machine where the coding work is happening.
OpenAI Codex comes to ChatGPT mobile app
Codex can now send updates to the ChatGPT mobile app, including screenshots, status notes and test results. Users can check progress, approve commands, change models, review outputs, or send a fresh prompt from their phone.
OpenAI described it as more than just remote control. The company said, “This is more than the ability to remotely control a single task or dispatch new tasks to your computer. From your phone, you can work across all of your threads, review outputs, approve commands, change models, or start something new.”
For developers, this could matter during long builds, bug fixes, or testing work. Say a developer starts a task at the office, steps out for tea, and Codex needs approval to continue. The phone can now carry that alert. No need to keep staring at the main machine.
The phone does not run Codex locally
The key point is that Codex is not running on the phone. The phone only connects to the environment where Codex already runs.
That machine could be a Mac mini, a desktop setup, or a company-managed remote workspace. Engadget reported that the phone acts as an intermediary between the user and the coding setup.
OpenAI said Codex uses a “secure relay layer that keeps trusted machines reachable across devices without exposing them directly to the public internet.” The company added that the relay keeps “active session state and context synced anywhere you’re signed in with ChatGPT.”
What developers can do from the phone
The mobile access adds a few practical controls:
| Feature | What it means |
|---|---|
| Monitor Codex tasks | Check progress from the ChatGPT mobile app |
| Review outputs | See results, screenshots and test updates |
| Approve commands | Let Codex continue when it needs a decision |
| Send new prompts | Ask Codex to continue or change direction |
| Switch models | Change the model used for the coding session |
OpenAI steps up in AI coding race
The update lands at a time when AI coding tools are getting more serious. Anthropic already offers mobile access for Claude Code through a feature called Remote Control.
OpenAI has been adding more Codex features in recent weeks. Codex got background task support on desktop last month, followed by a Chrome extension earlier in May for live browser sessions. Windows support for Codex connection to mobile phones is coming soon, while Mac users need to update both the ChatGPT app and the Codex app to try the feature.